The origin and counting of the Twelve Days is complicated, and is related to differences in calendars, church traditions, and ways to observe this holy day in various cultures. In some, especially Hispanic and Latin American culture, January 6th is observed as Three Kings Day, or simply the Day of the Kings (Spanish: la Fiesta de Reyes, el Dia de los Tres Reyes, or el Dia de los Reyes Magos; Dutch: Driekoningendag). Even though December 25th is celebrated as Christmas in these cultures, January 6th is often the day for giving gifts. In some places it is traditional to give Christmas gifts daily between December 25th and January 6th--an opportunity to "ing" each of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Happy Third Day of Christmas to All! From any willing participants still in the "Holiday Spirit"-- I'd love to hear some thoughts regarding some of the "things"(gifts/meals/etc.) that you've "inged" (the process of adding "ing" to a word to indicate the Experience of "using") during your Christmastime celebration. I'll start with a few from Christmas Day...

Mimosa"ing" - during our Christmas morning brunch.Hot Cocoa"ing" - during a quick, brisk walk to see the neighborhood lights and decorations.Megapixel"ing" - Our daughter's use of her new digital camera.

December 21, 2007

Today's Notable Quote: "Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore were the very first Cool Friends at TomPeters.com in 1999. At that time, they were putting the noun experience into the business lexicon in a big way, and they are currently doing the same for the adjective authentic." Cathy Mosca, from TomPeters Weblog Dispatches from the New World of Work, December 20, 2007.

A great interview! This "must read" is a thoughtful, poignant, humorous...and at times self-effacing conversation with Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore--two of the preeminent business thinkers and authors in the world today. The authors of The Experience Economy and Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want, as well as Editors of Markets of One provide an "inside look" at some of the thinking that went into the writing of these books and their numerous articles on these relevant topics.

December 17, 2007

Today's Notable Quote: "Does Starbucks exploit impoverished coffee farmers? Clark points out it couldn’t if it wanted to: “'Despite its perceived ubiquity, it only buys a little over 2 percent of the world’s coffee.'” - from P.J. O'Rourke's review of Taylor Clark's book Starbucked.

Seth Godin's blogpost on P.J. O'Rourke's book review is of interest. I can't help chuckling or laughing out loud whenever reading O'Rourke's descriptions of other authors' writing. Enjoy the post and review for yourself by linking to: What good writing looks like

December 11, 2007

24 years, 5,000 connecting flights, 3,000,000+ miles. Never during this time have I been as taken aback as when I heard the flight attendant sing the pre-flight announcement to the tune of "Santa Baby" ...the sultry Holiday Standard first popularized by Eartha Kitt, and later by others, including Madonna.

Debbie B. is an Experience Stager in the true sense of the word. My return flight from San Francisco visitng a client was made special because of her effort.

Moving from Airlines to Airborne - be sure to check out the link to Andy Nulman's great blogpost on Delivering On My Promises . As with so many of his posts...Andy delivers helpful information in a salient, humorous way. Read on...

December 04, 2007

Today's Notable Quote: The secret of big-time advertising during the 1960s and ’70s was the “big idea.” In A Big Life in Advertising, ad legend Mary Wells Lawrence writes, “... our goal was to have big, breakthrough ideas, not just to do good advertising. I wanted to create miracles.” - from Seth Godin's Blog.

Smaller, lighter, faster. Disintermediation, e-commerce, airmail and "overnight" (not to mention "same day" courier service) have changed the face of goods and services. Same with advertising. Consumers are, and will continue to seek out new, exciting and most of all--increasingly engaging Experiences as time goes on.

We wilingly pay more for less--particularly when we can get a napsterized or trial version of the respective economic offering.

December 01, 2007

Today's Notable Quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead (1901 - 1978)

When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man 52 years ago on December 1, 1955, she was tired and weary from a long day of work.

That's how the event has been retold and recorded in high school and college history books. Yet, this explanation alone does not do justice to the woman whose act of courage "jump-started" the wheels of the civil rights movement on that Montgomery City Bus more than half a century ago.

Rosa Parks was physically tired after a long day's work. Even so, given different circumstances, she would likely have given up her seat to a child, elderly or disabled person. But Parks had grown tired of the treatment she and other African Americans lived with daily due to the racism, segregation, and "Jim Crow" laws of the time.

"Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it," writes Parks in her revealing book, Quiet Strength, (ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1994). "I kept thinking about my mother and my grandparents, and how strong they were. I knew there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an opportunity was being given to me to do what I had asked of others."

The rest of Parks' story is American history...her arrest and trial, a 381-day Montgomery bus boycott, and, finally, the Supreme Court's ruling in November 1956 that segregation on transportation is unconstitutional.

Parks' personal history has been largely overlooked. In the years before her arrest, Mrs. Parks worked quietly and diligently to change the injustice and inequity that she observed around her. She served as secretary of the NAACP and later was named an Adviser to the NAACP Youth Council. Rosa Parks wanted to vote, and sought to register on several occasions when it was still nearly impossible to do so.

Thank you Rosa, for your example of faithful, diligent and firm resolve. Thank you for refusing to leave your seat on the bus on this day in 1955. Your actions are an inspiration to me as a middle-aged, middle-class, middle-American person to stand for what I know is right, even when it is costly.